The independent Maagar Mohot poll released on Friday shows 49 percent of respondents feel Israel should have kept going after squads firing rockets into Israel. Thirty-one percent support the government's decision to stop. Twenty percent have no opinion.

The Associated Press and Israel Hayom Staff

Soldiers work on their a tanks in a staging ground near the border with the Gaza Strip on Friday, Nov. 16.

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Photo credit: AP

A poll shows about half of Israelis think their government should have continued its military offensive against Palestinian terrorists in Hamas-ruled Gaza.

The independent Maagar Mohot poll released on Friday shows 49 percent of respondents feel Israel should have kept going after squads who fire rockets into Israel. Thirty-one percent supported the government's decision to stop. Twenty percent had no opinion.

Twenty-nine percent thought Israel should have sent ground troops to invade Gaza.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire two days ago.

The poll of 503 respondents had an error margin of 4.5 percentage points.

The same survey showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party and electoral partner Yisrael Beytenu losing some support, but his hard-line bloc still able to form the next government. Elections are Jan. 22.

The Wednesday night announcement of a cease-fire, which saw calm restored after eight days of fighting between Israel and Hamas, disappointed many residents of southern Israel, who have been the target of rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip for many years now. They feel that Israel must wage a punishing offensive in Gaza to ensure a lasting calm, rather than a temporary truce.

A poll conducted by Channel 2 on Wednesday night showed that 70% of respondents opposed a cease-fire. The poll was taken before the cease-fire announcement was made. Only 24% of respondents said they supported a cease-fire.

The poll also found skepticism that any cease-fire would hold, with 64% of respondents saying a cease-fire would last a very short time and 24% saying a cease-fire would not hold at all.

On the question of the deterrence achieved by Operation Pillar of Defense, 58% of respondents said Israel's deterrence had improved, 24% said it had not changed, 15% said it had become worse and 4% had no response.